Page 53 of The Smuggler’s Escape

But if she were a spy, it was his duty to do so. She had spent almost all the money she’d withdrawn on jewelry. Not particularly tasteful items, judging by the comparable ones Barnes had shown him, but with plenty of gold and gemstones.

She was planning to leave England. He was sure of it. Why else would she turn perfectly good English money into jewelry for which she would get far less than she had paid?

Because she could sell it anywhere.

It was his duty to continue to investigate her, but he wouldn’t turn her in without certain proof of her guilt.

More than that, he refused to believe her guilty unless he had that proof.

He found her gazing into the window of a haberdashery not far from the Crown. “There you are, my love. But where are my mother and Lady Tifton?”

“I didn’t stay at Mrs. Ponsonby’s with them,” Noelle said, which was true, and then slipped without blinking into a blatant lie. “I had to pick up my locket from the jeweler’s. He fixed the broken catch.”

He eyed the box, which was too big for one locket. “It so happens I went to the jeweler’s, too, to purchase you this trifle in honor of our impending nuptials.” He presented her with a box much like her own. “What a pity we didn’t meet there; you could have chosen it yourself.”

“A pity indeed,” she said hollowly. She seemed pale and ill-at-ease. Perhaps she scented danger—rightly so—and was desperate to leave the country.

“Open it, my love,” he said. “If you don’t like it, Mr. Barnes will allow us to exchange it for something else.”

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she opened the little box. Nestled inside was a delicate necklace of diamonds and sapphires. “It’s beautiful.” She didn’t touch it. She returned it to his hand.

“Take it, sweetheart. It will suit you admirably and as befits my wife.”

She sighed. “As I have told you over and over, I will not marry you.”

He tried to drum up the usual lighthearted retort, but fortunately she forestalled him.

“I will accept your gift under one condition,” she said.

He managed a smile. “A condition. How delightful! Do tell me.”

Noelle, his darling, the love of his life, said, “Will you take me as your mistress instead?”

~ ~ ~

Noelle knew he would be furious, but there was no other way. She couldn’t marry Richard, but since she had to leave, why not earn whatever she could before doing so?

Or so she reminded herself as she waited for his reply.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. His grip tightened. His eyes cut into her like knives.

“Richard, stop! You’re hurting me.”

He let go and released a long, angry breath. “I don’t think of you that way.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.” They were standing on the paving-stones glaring at one another, drawing attention once again. She took him by the sleeve, pulled him next to the window of a bakeshop, and spoke softly. “Not as a mistress, perhaps, but you want to go to bed with me. You know it and I know it. I have done well in smuggling, but that avenue is now closed to me. I need more funds to secure the life I wish for. Therefore, I must turn to other means.”

“Other means!” Richard’s face darkened with rage. “By God, woman!”

She made herself ignore the trembling inside. “I am not cut out to be a courtesan. The very idea distresses me more than you can imagine. But I have already given myself to you, Richard, and if I must prostitute myself to gain my independence, I would prefer that it be with you.”

For once, Richard seemed bereft of speech, but he had calmed a little. After a long silence, he said coldly, “Am I supposed to be grateful?”

“This is a business transaction, nothing more. In exchange for a night in your bed, I shall accept that necklace.”

“You price yourself high,” he drawled. “When I bought it, I was anticipating a lifetime of nights with you.”

She felt her face suffuse with blushes. She should hang her head at the shame of it, but she put out her hand instead. “Provided you pay me in advance.”

“Spoken like a genuine strumpet,” he said dryly.

She’d known it was a bad idea. If only she could explain, he might understand her predicament and not despise her. But she couldn’t, so she said, “It would cost you far more to marry me. I am merely killing two birds with one stone. You will get what you really want from me, and I will get what I need.”

“You have no idea what I really want.” He glanced over her shoulder and said under his breath, “Damn.”

She turned to see Lord Harry Walsh strolling down the street toward them. What a relief. This horrid conversation must end. She waved at him and smiled.

Richard growled, “I suppose you would have given yourself to him to save yourself from Hale, if I hadn’t happened along.”

She flushed again, thoroughly miserable now. He would repudiate her at once. It would be over and done with, and she would be able to leave England without regret. “If you need some time to think about it, I completely understand.”

“There’s nothing to think about. I accept your offer.”